Four ShopRite stores in Essex and Union counties have implemented the Double Up Food Bucks program to allow SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) beneficiaries to receive a dollar-for-dollar match on fresh fruit and vegetables. The program allows low-income individuals and families to bring home more nutritious food.

The stores using the Double Up program, the first in New Jersey, are:
ShopRite of Newark, 206 Springfield Ave., Newark;
ShopRite of East Orange, 533 Martin Luther King Blvd., E. Orange;
ShopRite of Kearny, 100 Passaic Ave., Kearny;
ShopRite of Hillside, 370 Route 22, W. Hillside.

The program will run through December 31, 2018 and will relaunch in spring 2019.

Started in 2009 in Michigan by the national nonprofit Fair Food Network, it has since become a model for healthy food incentives active in more than 25 states.

“Double Up helps people in need in our community have access to the fresh fruits and vegetables they need, while also prioritizing locally-grown produce in participating stores. This builds upon the success of our Locally Grown program,” said Neil Greenstein, owner and operator of the ShopRite of Newark.

The Double Up Food Bucks program allows shoppers to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables with a dollar-for-dollar match.(Photo: Photo courtesy of ShopRite)

The program works when shoppers purchase fresh fruit and vegetables with their EBT (Electronics Benefits Transfer) card provided by SNAP. Using the card, people get a dollar-for-dollar match in free Double Up Food Bucks, up to $10 a day, which can be used to buy more fresh produce. Recipients will be given coupons they can use on their next visit at any of the participating stores.

“Double Up is a win/win/win: Low-income families bring home more healthy food, local farmers sell more produce, and more food dollars stay in the local economy. Each has a positive ripple effect of benefits,” said Oran Hesterman, founder and CEO of Fair Food Network in Michigan.